Asked by: Seamus Logan (Scottish National Party - Aberdeenshire North and Moray East)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether she plans to establish an alternative disputes resolution process for people affected by changes in state pension age for women.
Answered by Torsten Bell - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
We have no such plans.
Asked by: Seamus Logan (Scottish National Party - Aberdeenshire North and Moray East)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate she mas made of the number of women born in the 1950s who have died since the publication entitled Government response to PHSO’s Investigation into Women’s State Pension age, published on 17 December 2024.
Answered by Torsten Bell - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Department has made no assessment.
Asked by: Seamus Logan (Scottish National Party - Aberdeenshire North and Moray East)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if she will issue guidance on how disabled people can maintain their national insurance contributions needed to qualify for full state pension if (a) their household income is above the Universal Credit threshold due to a partner’s income and (b) they can only claim the replacement for new style Employment and Support Allowance for 6-12 months.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
As part of the Pathways to Work: Reforming Benefits and Support to Get Britain Working Green Paper published in March 2025 we are consulting on establishing a new “Unemployment Insurance” benefit through the reform of contributory working-age benefits. Unemployment Insurance would be a new non-means tested entitlement for people who have contributed into the system and replace existing NS JSA and NS ESA. Policy on the new Unemployment Insurance is being developed, and we will be considering the detailed contributory related entitlement conditions with further detail to be published in a White Paper in Autumn.
.
Asked by: Seamus Logan (Scottish National Party - Aberdeenshire North and Moray East)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether she plans to implement the recommendations of the report by the UN Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights entitled Concluding observations on the seventh periodic report of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, published on 3 March 2025.
Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
Relevant departments are currently considering the Committee’s concluding observations in detail. The Government will give written responses to three priority areas that the Committee has identified for specific follow-up by 2027.
The Government will respond to the rest of the recommendations before the UK’s next reporting cycle starts in 2030.
Asked by: Seamus Logan (Scottish National Party - Aberdeenshire North and Moray East)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential impact of proposed reforms to the personal independence payment on the NHS.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
As part of the mission led government, regular cross government collaboration takes place at both Ministerial and official level. DWP will work across Government, including with the Department for Health and Social Care, to address any impacts caused by reforms made to the Social Security system.
Asked by: Seamus Logan (Scottish National Party - Aberdeenshire North and Moray East)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential impact of proposed reductions in the welfare budget on local government services.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
No assessment has been made.
A further programme of analysis to support development of the proposals in the Green Paper will be developed and undertaken in the coming months.
Asked by: Seamus Logan (Scottish National Party - Aberdeenshire North and Moray East)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential impact of proposed reforms to the personal independence payment on children living in families in receipt of that benefit.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The publication ‘Spring Statement 2025 health and disability benefit reforms – Impacts’ provides some information on the numbers affected by the proposed changes to the disability benefits system.
In particular, table B2 on page 12 shows the estimated impact of the benefit change alone on the proportion of children living in poverty.
More information on the impacts of the Pathways to Work Green Paper will be published shortly. A further programme of analysis to support development of the proposals in the Green Paper will be developed and undertaken in the coming months.
Asked by: Seamus Logan (Scottish National Party - Aberdeenshire North and Moray East)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential impact of proposed reforms to the personal independence payment on the employment (a) rights of and (b) obligations of employers to disabled employees.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
PIP is a non-means tested benefit that can be paid to those in or out of work, it therefore does not directly link with employment rights.
Asked by: Seamus Logan (Scottish National Party - Aberdeenshire North and Moray East)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether her Department has targets for the time taken to process Attendance Allowance.
Answered by Torsten Bell - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Actual Average Clearance Time for Attendance Allowance claims for January 2025 was 23 working days. There is a quick application process for people who have been diagnosed with a terminal illness and aren't expected to live more than 12 months. These claims are fast tracked.
Attendance Allowance is currently undergoing a significant modernisation reform through the piloting of an on-line digital claim process as a part of the department’s wider Service Modernisation plans.
Please note, the Average Actual Clearance Time figures shown is unpublished management information, collected and intended for internal departmental use and has not been quality assured to National Statistics or Official Statistics publication standard. It is rounded to the nearest working day.
Asked by: Seamus Logan (Scottish National Party - Aberdeenshire North and Moray East)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if her Department will review the name of the Attendance Allowance.
Answered by Torsten Bell - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
There are no plans to change the name of Attendance Allowance in England and Wales.
Attendance Allowance is a devolved matter in Scotland. The Scottish Government is currently replacing it with Pension Age Disability Payment.